Stinson Will Give Basketball A Try WSU Volleyball Standout Says She’ll Play Hoops Next Season

Washington State junior Jennifer Stinson announced Monday she will play both volleyball and basketball during the 1998-99 school year. She will stay at WSU a fifth year and also play basketball in 1999-2000.

The 6-foot-2 athlete from Davenport has been a force on the volleyball team the past three seasons and earned All-Pac-10 first-team honors this year. The Cougars ended their season Saturday when they lost to Florida in the NCAA Tournament regional semifinals.

Coming out of Davenport High, Stinson participated in basketball, volleyball and track and field.

However, she was best known as a basketball star and still holds the state record for most career points (2,881) and most career points in the State B Tournament (421).

Stinson accepted a volleyball scholarship “to try something new.”

During the volleyball season, Stinson began entertaining the idea of playing two sports and wanted to begin this year. However, under NCAA rules, an athlete who plays both basketball and volleyball must be on a basketball scholarship, and WSU women’s basketball coach Harold Rhodes did not have any more scholarships available this year.

Next season, Stinson will attend school on one of the 15 basketball scholarships WSU offers. Her basketball career won’t begin until her senior volleyball season ends.

“Once I’m done with volleyball, I wouldn’t have anything to do. I don’t know what I’d do with my time,” Stinson said.

Rhodes, whose team is off to a 4-2 start, was one of 120 basketball coaches who recruited Stinson.

“I was surprised when she came to me,” Rhodes said. “It saved us a lot of time and money.”

Said WSU volleyball coach Cindy Fredrick: “It makes me really proud of Jennifer. She committed herself to volleyball and she’s done great. But I think she can do absolutely fabulous things on the basketball court.”

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